Recent Posts:

Monday, July 30th

The summer is usually good to Hertz (NYSE:HTZ) because that’s when many Americans hit the road for vacation and many times they will need a rental car to do so. And while I currently consider this stock a hold (due to its previously lackluster fundamentals), Hertz’ upcoming earnings announcement could signal a shift.

Currently the analyst community expects Hertz to grow sales by 8% and earnings by 23%. At first glance this may seem rather modest, but we must realize that the rest of the Rental and Leasing industry is headed towards a 75% drop in its bottom line. On top of this, Hertz has a history of trumping analyst estimates; it has posted doubled-digit earnings surprises for three of the past four quarters. While I still consider HTZ a hold now, you may want to keep this

Tuesday, August 31st

And to get you through Tuesday, I want to draw your attention to Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK), which is headed towards a promising earnings announcement. A leading risk management company, Verisk Analytics is in the middle of a significant restructuring program to squeeze out as much profit as possible.

On top of this, the company recently launched a new Crime Analytics division that is drawing in new clients across the public and private sector. So Verisk Analytics is headed towards 13% sales growth and 12% earnings growth for this announcement–while the rest of the Business Services’ profits are expected to be flat. Shares of VRSK have dipped slightly in the past week so I consider now a good time to buy.